Carolina Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan has focused on his diet and the weight room over the last few months.
Carolina Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan finished last season at 205 pounds. Even though he had an incredible campaign, the youngster felt "weak" at times.
That's why McMillan has focused on his diet and the weight room over the last few months.
"Just getting my strength and my power back," McMillan said, via Panthers.com. "I wasn't used to playing that small. I felt pretty weak. I didn't have my power back, so that was pretty much the main focus this offseason for me."
"The weight that I'm at now is what I've normally been at in college, so kind of just used to it, got my power back, which allows me to be faster, stronger, so my focus was more in the weight room, strength, diet, and stuff like that."
McMillan led all rookies last season in receiving yards (1,014), receiving yards per game (59.6) and touchdown receptions (seven) and ranked third in receptions (70). He broke the Panthers franchise record for most receiving yards by a rookie.
McMillan caught 70 balls in 2025 for 1,014 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
In the Panthers' Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams, McMillan had five catches for 81 yards, showing off his skills on national TV.
Carolina made the playoffs this season for the first time since the 2017 campaign, and even though they lost to Los Angeles, Bryce Young and McMillan showed the NFL world they already have significant chemistry, which is scary for the rest of the league.
"Coming into the season and just coming into the league, I was pretty confident in my abilities and what I could do," McMillan said. "None of that was a surprise to me. I always try to strive to be the best possible player that I can be and I knew that stuff like Rookie of the Year and all that wasn't too far and I knew that I was capable of achieving those things."
It will be fascinating to see how McMillan and the Panthers perform in 2026. They will no longer be under the radar.
Panthers Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Panthers. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.